[Aoba-BBT Group Anniversary Project] Why Did the 'School of Aspirations' Isshin-juku Produce 360 Social Entrepreneurs and 24 Mayors?

Aoba-BBT Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Iwao Shibata; hereinafter Aoba-BBT) will hold a special online dialogue event, the first in its alumni special dialogue series, on April 15, 2026 (Wednesday) as part of the group-wide initiative 'Anniversary Project ~Life-time Empowerment in Invisible Continent~'.

The guest speaker will be Nobuo Morishima, Representative Director and Secretary-General of the NPO Isshin-juku. For 29 years, he has operated Isshin-juku, a school for nurturing next-generation leaders founded by management consultant Kenichi Ohmae in 1994. Isshin-juku has produced 360 social entrepreneurs, 17 national diet members, 24 local government heads, and 221 local assembly members from its 6,500 graduates.

The representatives of the two educational institutions founded by Kenichi Ohmae – BBT and Isshin-juku – will engage in a comprehensive discussion on the secrets of human resource development for 'citizens who change society' and the unique methodology 'The Equation for Living a Life of Purpose,' systematized over 32 years of operation.

Corporate Application Page: https://go.aoba-bbt.com/l/963543/2026-03-24/89glt

Individual Application Page: https://go.aoba-bbt.com/l/963543/2026-03-24/89gm1

Background of the Event: The Two Seeds Sown by Kenichi Ohmae

This dialogue is one of the key initiatives of the Aoba-BBT Group's 'Anniversary Project ~Life-time Empowerment in Invisible Continent~,' which will run from 2025 to 2027.

In 1994, Kenichi Ohmae founded Isshin-juku with the philosophy of 'producing proactive citizens who challenge the creation of a nation with sovereign citizens.' Isshin-juku has nurtured human resources in the unique fields of policy advocacy, social entrepreneurship, and citizen activities. Meanwhile, BBT (Business Breakthrough), established in 1998, specializes in developing business leaders and aims to produce global talent.

A conversation between the representatives of these two schools, reflecting on their respective journeys, is a fitting project for the anniversary, visualizing the multifaceted achievements born from Kenichi Ohmae's educational philosophy.

Objectives of the Project

The aim of planning this dialogue is to widely share the management know-how of one of Japan's leading 'Schools of Aspirations.' Isshin-juku is known as a human resource development institution comparable to the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, and its 24 alumni who became local government heads surpass the achievements of the Matsushita Institute.

Mr. Morishima retired from Sekisui House in 1997 to join the Isshin-juku secretariat. Under Mr. Ohmae's guidance, he has supported the 'challenges of living a life of purpose' for the塾生 (juku-sei - students/alumni) for 29 years. Annually, 100